Neighborhood Investments purchases three properties on Fontaine Avenue and 49 other Charlottesville property transactions from March 2026

For this edition, I’m stealing a formula from recipe blogs for this one. The details are below a long explanation of why I do this. New readers may not have the background.

This newsletter primarily exists to provide thorough and ongoing coverage of the implementation of a new zoning code adopted by the City of Charlottesville in December 2023. All of the contents are the product of one person whose labor is paid for by hundreds of subscribers, a handful of sponsors, and charitable contributions. There is no Board of Directors that approves the editorial tone.

Charlottesville Community Engagement is the result of an independent public service journalist dedicated to getting information to people about the effects that the Cville Plans Together initiative has had on growth and development in the city. I’ve been an observer since at least 2007.

In late 2019, the city hired the firm Rhodeside & Harwell to oversee creation of an affordable housing policy, a new Comprehensive Plan that called for additional density all across the city, and the new Development Code.

Where did all of this come from? To understand the politics of it all, you must read the Request for Proposals that was sent out after Council agreed to spend $1 million to hire a consultant to complete a Comprehensive Plan process that stalled when the body disagreed on how much additional residential density was needed. Here’s a key paragraph:

“In Charlottesville’s history, the failure of institutions and city government to be accountable to low-wealth communities, particularly communities of color, has taken many forms: violent suppression, structural oppression, neglect, half-hearted or insincere attempts that serve to manufacture consent, and well-meaning attempts that end up failing due to their assumptions, framework, and processes favoring those in power and resulting in lopsided and inaccurate information, community inaction, or community harm.”

The rest is reading as it set the tone for the work that would be done.

Flash forward to June 2026 when opposition to large buildings along the West Main Street corridor is mounting from those who live in adjacent neighborhoods. There are still stories to be told about The Mark on 7th Street NW as well as the project at 843 West Main Street, as well as stories about the future of the student housing at the University of Virginia. This newsletter exists to write those and to continuously remind people of why the rules we have now came to be.

What follows for the rest of this special Sunday edition is another snapshot of real estate transactions this time from the month of March. I’ve been doing this since January 2021 and one purpose has been to document what is happening in the areas designated in the Comprehensive Plan as “Sensitive Communities.” Those became the Core Residential Neighborhood A district and the Core Overlay District.

Open questions remain: Has there been any outreach to help rebuild wealth for the families and households at risk of displacement? Who should be doing that work? How many households have sold without knowing the worth of their property?

This work is intended to be a publicly available unofficial record of what is happening, work intended to raise questions and try to provide context. I am a property owner in Charlottesville with no stake in the development world other than one house I intend to live in for as long as I can. I do this work to inform anyone who reads it and encourage more people to do so. There are people on my street who have no idea they can build six units if they choose. Who is out there to help them?

Since 2020, property values in Charlottesville have increased dramatically. Since 2016, the city’s total taxable value has increased over 104 percent from $5.945 billion to over $12.16 billion. That means a lot of money for programs as City Council had voted consistently to retain all of the money for government spending. It also means Council has met its commitment to spend $10 million on affordable housing each, a commitment enshrined in the affordable housing plan.

There are many explanations and reasons and I offer no trends of analysis. This is intended to inform and provoke conversation. None of this is intended as advocacy. I just want people to have the information.

Some basic ground rules for how I do these:

• I don’t identify the names of individuals who have purchased a property, but I do so for corporations.
• For the most part, this summary does not include title changes and other transactions where no money changes hands. I look at every single transaction, though.
• I consulted the city’s permit portal for most of the entries to see if any recent purchases have led to land use applications. I still have a lot to learn.
• There could very well be errors in the math. No AI is used in this process. The tedious nature is the point. I’m the kind of journalist who loves to go through the information to tell the story.

For much of this newsletter’s history, these summaries were released to paid subscribers first for a one-week period. Then it was entirely behind the paywall. Now I feel duty-bound to present the research in the hopes that it will inspire you to pay more attention. What you do with your research is up to you. I’m a journalist seeking to make a living off the work while informing the community. See below for more information.

Now, March 2026!

Support the journalism with a gift!

March 2, 2026

• A three bedroom townhouse on Melbourne Park Circle built in 2006 sold for $440,000. That’s 5.39 percent above the 2025 assessment of $417,500 and 2.92 percent above the 2026 assessment of $427,500. The assessment in 2020 was $277,600. The purchaser is Rockfield LLC of Scottsville. (Residential Mixed Use 3, N/A)
• A 3,158 square foot condominium with three bedrooms at 202 Douglas Avenue sold for $1.8 million. That’s 2.38 percent above the 2025 assessment of $1,758,200 and 1.93 percent below the 2026 assessment of $1,835,500. The assessment in 2020 was $1,429,300. (Residential Mixed Use 3, N/A)
• A three bedroom house in the 300 block of Harris Road in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $500,000. A pair of companies had bought the house on the same day in late August 2025 with the second transaction at $348,000. There are no records in the city’s permit portal pertaining to the property. The latest sales price is 24.22 percent above the 2026 assessment of $402,500. In 2020, the assessment was $278,200. (Residential-B, 0.22 acres)

March 4, 2026

• A five bedroom house on Olinda Drive in the Fifeville neighborhood sold for $480,000. That’s 3.25 percent above the 2026 assessment of $464,900 and 56.05 percent above the 2020 assessment of $307,600. (Residential-A, 0.15 acres)
• A three bedroom house built in 1953 on Amherst Street in the Barracks / Rugby neighborhood sold for $565,000. That’s 13.3 percent below the 2026 assessment of $651,700. In 2020 the assessment was $331,100. (Residential-A, 0.241 acres)
• A four bedroom house built in 1925 on West Street in the 10th and Page neighborhood sold for $580,000. That’s 0.29 percent above the 2025 assessment of $578,300 and 8.82 percent below the 2026 assessment of $636,100. In 2020, the assessment was $246,600. (Residential Neighborhood A, 0.11 acres)
• Willow Stone Builders LLC purchased 708 Locust Avenue in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood for $525,000. That’s 31.92 percent below the 2026 assessment and 12.83 percent above the 2020 assessment of $465,300. The structure is a three bedroom house built in 1900. A building permit application for a whole house renovation was received on June 2, 2026 and is pending. (Residential-A, 0.172 acres)
• A two bedroom house built in 1920 on Rives Avenue in the Belmont-Carlton neighborhood association sold for $236,000. The sales price is 15.77 percent below the 2025 assessment of $280,200 and 8.26 percent above the 2026 assessment of $218,000. The new owner sought a zoning compliance determination which confirmed there are 8 buildable lots. (Residential-A, 0.331 acres)
• A four bedroom house in the 2100 block of Tarleton Drive sold for $510,000. That’s 10.01 percent below the 2026 assessment of $566,700 and 39.42 percent above the 2020 assessment of $365,800. (Residential-A, 0.457 acres)

March 5, 2026

• An 804 square foot two-bedroom condominium in the Linden Town Lofts in the Belmont Carlton neighborhood sold for $310,000. That’s 2.07 percent above the 2026 assessment of $303,700. The 2020 assessment was $202,800. (Residential-C, N/A)

March 6, 2026

• A two bedroom house built in 1947 on Rayon Street in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $400,000. That’s 3.44 percent above the 2025 assessment of $386,700 and 7.43 percent below the 2026 assessment of $432,100. (Residential A, 0.12 acres)
• Another new house in the new Flint Hill community in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold. This is a three bedroom townhouse on Keene Court and the purchase price is $555,980. That’s 0.87 acres over the 2026 assessment of $551,200. The purchaser is 15 Tanglewood at the Lake LLC. (Civic, 0.038 acres)

March 9, 2026

• A three bedroom house built in 1925 in the 300 block of 8th Street NW sold for $500,000. That’s 3.63 percent above the 2025 assessment of $482,500 and 5.8 percent below the 2026 assessment of $530,800. The assessment in 2020 was $174,100. The property sold for $350,000 that April. (Residential Neighborhood A, 0.092 acres)
• A single family attached house with three bedrooms on Valley Road Extended in the Fry’s Spring sold for $288,000. That’s 0.81 percent below the 2026 assessment of $285,700. The assessment in 2020 was $203,300. (Residential-A, N/A)
• A four bedroom house built in 1966 on Foxbrook Lane in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $1.3 million. That’s 34.46 percent above the 2026 assessment of $633,000. (Residential B, 0.38 acres)

March 10, 2026

• A house at 203 Palatine Avenue with six bedrooms sold for $325,000 to an entity called 203 Palatine Ave LLC. That’s 18.93 percent below the 2026 assessment of $400,900. In 2020 the assessment was $254,500. (Residential-A, 0.17 acres)
• A two bedroom house in the 900 block of Elliott Avenue built in 1957 sold for $300,000. That’s 17.97 percent below the 2026 assessment of $432,100. The assessment in 2020 was $250,100. (Residential-B, 0.139 acres)
• A two bedroom condominium in the McGuffey Hill complex sold for $440,000. That’s 13.27 percent below the 2026 assessment of $507,300. In 2020 the assessment was $382,400. (Corridor Mixed Use 8, N/A)

March 11, 2026

• A three bedroom townhouse on Keene Court in the new Flint Hill community sold for $554,900. That’s 8.13 percent above the 2026 assessment of $513,200. (Civic, 0.04 acres)

March 12, 2026

• A three bedroom house on Concord Avenue in the Rose Hill neighborhood built in 1925 and renovated after 2020 sold for $625,000. That’s 7.39 percent below the 2025 assessment of $674,900 and 12.38 percent below the 2026 assessment of $713,000. In 2020 the assessment was $140,600. Daddy Rabbit Inc. bought the house for $145,000 that April and sold it in January 2021 for $525,000. (Residential Neighborhood-A, 0.00 acres)
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville purchased a lot on Ridge Street in the Ridge Street neighborhood for $150,000. That’s 36.36 percent above the 2026 assessment of $110,000. (Residential Neighborhood-A, 0.20 acres)
• A six bedroom house built in 1950 on Eton Road in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $526,400. That’s 8.12 percent below the 2026 assessment of $572,900. In 2020 the assessment was $387,500. (Residential-A, 0.253 acres)
• Why did the assessment for 802 Orangedale Avenue in Fifeville fall from $252,200 to $201,200 from 2025 to 2026? While the value of the land increased from $60,000 to $62,500, the improvement value dropped from $192,200 to $138,700. There was not a corresponding drop in the improvement value for the unit next door? On this day, an entity called Rivanna Homes LLC purchased this single family attached for $215,000 or 6.86 percent above the 2026 assessment. (Residential Neighborhood-A, 0.083 acres)

March 13, 2026

• A three bedroom house in the 200 block of Monte Vista Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $475,000. That’s 68.92 percent above the 2025 assessment of $281,200 and 0.67 percent below the 2026 assessment of $478,200. Why the change? An entity called M&C Productions LLC bought the house in January 2025 for $280,000 and made several renovations. (Residential-A, 0.165 acres)
• An entity called Stadium Row LLC has purchased two properties on Price Avenue in the Jefferson Park Avenue neighborhood for $890,000. One lot is empty and the other holds a two bedroom house built in 1955. The company also owns two commercial buildings on Maury Avenue. (Residential Mixed Use 3, 0.46 acres)

March 16, 2026

• An 1,131 square foot space in an office building at 619 East High Street sold for $350,000. That’s 7.07 percent above the 2026 assessment of $326,900. That value hasn’t changed since 2009. (Corridor Mixed Use 5, N/A)
• A three bedroom house built in 1954 on Holmes Avenue sold for $417,500. That’s 5.14 percent above the 2025 assessment of $397,100 and 1.07 percent above the 2026 assessment of $413,100. In 2020 the assessment was $257,300. (Residential-A, 0.14 acres)
• A three bedroom house on Belleview Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $525,000. That’s 34.03 percent above the 2026 assessment of $391,700. The 2020 assessment was $255,700. (Residential-A, 0.18 acres)
• A three bedroom house on Yorktown Drive in the Greenbrier neighborhood sold for $1.325 million. That’s 25.38 percent above the 2026 assessment of $1,056,800 and 124.58 percent above the 2020 assessment of $590,000. (Residential-A, 0.506 acres)

March 17, 2026

• A single family attached house built in 2016 as part of Burnet Commons on Almere Street in the Ridge Street neighborhood sold for $696,000. That’s 8.43 percent above the 2025 assessment of $641,900 and 4.04 percent above the 2026 assessment of $669,000. The assessment in 2020 was $519,400. (Residential-C, 0.04 acres)
• A three bedroom house in the 600 block of Davis Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $610,000. That’s 7.09 percent above the 2026 assessment of $569,600 and 35.71 percent above the 2020 assessment of $449,500. (Residential-A, 0.39 acres)
• An apartment complex built in 1969 at 2401 Arlington Boulevard has sold for $19,725,000 million and the purchaser is not the University of Virginia or the UVA Foundation. Instead, Heirloom Development is the new owner of the Jefferson Apartments. The purchase price is 42.27 percent above the 2026 assessment of $13,864,600. In 2020 the assessment was $8,918,400. This will be a property to watch in years to come. (Neighborhood Mixed Use 10, 2.01 acres)
• A four bedroom house built in 1952 in the 2000 block of Lewis Mountain Road in the neighborhood of the same name sold for $1.5 million. That’s 50.32 percent above the 2025 assessment of $997,900 and 34.81 percent above the 2026 assessment. This is the first new owner of the property in 55 years. (Residential-A, 0.576 acres)

March 18, 2026

• A three bedroom house on Huntley Avenue in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood built in 2017 sold for $665,000. That’s 9.86 percent above the 2026 assessment of $605,300 and 53.62 percent above the 2020 assessment of $432,900. (Residential-A, 0.088 acres)
• A three bedroom house at 1319 Riverdale Drive in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood sold for $475,000. The purchaser is Porterhouse Properties LLC. The transaction is 13.51 percent below the 2026 assessment of $549,200. The assessment in 2020 was $331,200. (Residential-B, 0.176 acres)

March 19, 2026

• A 1,152 square foot condominium with two bedrooms in the Walker Square complex sold for $418,000. That’s 0.97 percent below the 2025 and 2026 assessment of $422,100 and 35.89 percent above the 2020 assessment of $307,600. (Residential Mixed-Use 5, N/A)

March 23, 2026

• A four bedroom house built in 1972 on Holmes Avenue in the Locust Grove neighborhood sold for $450,000. That’s 3.4 percent above the 2025 assessment of $435,200 and 3.2 percent below the 2026 assessment of $464,900. In 2020 the assessment was $274,800. (Residential-A, 0.172 acres)

March 24, 2026

• A four bedroom house built in 2021 on Stonehenge Avenue Extended sold for $879,000. That is 5.87 percent above the 2025 assessment of $830,300 and 3.61 percent above the 2026 assessment of $848,400. This house is within a section of the Belmont-Carlton neighborhood that had been known as Belmont Point during the planning process. Council voted 3 to 2 in May 2013 to approve a rezoning. More on cvillepedia. (Residential-A, 0.14 acres)
• A four bedroom house in the 800 block of East Jefferson Street in North Downtown sold for $1.6 million. That is 52.09 percent above the 2026 assessment of $1,052,000 and 119.6 percent above the 2020 assessment of $728,600. (Node Mixed Use 10, 0.06 acres)
• The University of Virginia Foundation took ownership of an 865 square foot one bedroom condominium in the Gleason building. This was conveyed through a deed of gift. A trust had purchased the property for $535,000 in January 2024. (Node Mixed Use 10, N/A)
• A three bedroom house in the 900 block of Charlton Avenue in the Rose Hill neighborhood sold for $499,000. That’s 16.67 percent below the 2026 assessment of $598,800. A developer purchased the property in November 2021 and sold a renovated house in November 2022 for $525,000. This is the second transaction since then. (Residential Neighborhood A, 0.15 acres)

March 27, 2026

• A three bedroom house built in 1952 in the 100 block of Stribling Avenue sold for $450,000. That’s 8.36 percent below the 2026 assessment of $491,100. In 2020 the assessment was $244,400. One thing to watch on this road is the city’s efforts to build a sidewalk. The work has been paused for the current fiscal year as I have reported. (Residential-A, 0.371 acres)

March 30, 2026

• A three bedroom house built in 1978 on Lide Place in the city section of Willoughby sold for $600,000. That’s 36.09 percent above the 2026 assessment of $440,900 and 101.2 percent above the 2020 assessment of $298,200. (Residential-A, 0.216 acres)
• A three bedroom townhouse built in 2010 at 856 Rock Creek Road sold for $389,500. That’s 4.91 percent below the 2025 assessment of $410,100 and 8.76 percent below the 2026 assessment of $427,400. The purchaser is Hoo’s Home LLC. (Residential-C, N/A)
• The Highland Investment Group of Henrico County purchased an empty lot on Cherry Street in the Belmont Carlton neighborhood for $215,000. That is 43.72 percent above the 2026 assessment of $149,600. A building permit has been issued for a single family home with three bedrooms that is the “same house as 423 10 ½ Street NW.” (Residential-A, 0.103 acres)
• A three bedroom house on Olinda Drive, a cul-de-sac in the Fifeville neighborhood, sold for $513,000. That’s 31.91 percent above the 2025 assessment of $388,900 and 0.29 percent below the 2026 assessment of $514,500. The assessment in 2020 was $265,300. (Residential-A, 0.161 acres)

March 31, 2026

• A three bedroom house built in 1953 in the 1100 block of East Jefferson Street in the Martha Jefferson neighborhood sold for $365,000. That’s 2.27 percent above the 2026 assessment of $356,900 and 59.74 percent above the 2020 assessment of $228,500. (Residential-A, 0.114 acres)
• A subsidiary of Neighborhood Investments purchased 2304 Fontaine Avenue for $825,000. That’s 8.76 percent below the 2026 assessment of $930,000. In 2020 the assessment was $571,800. There appear to be two existing structures on the property with four bedrooms each. (Corridor Mixed Use 5, 0.23 acres)
• The same subsidiary of Neighborhood Investments bought 2300 Fontaine and 2302 Fontaine Avenue in the same transaction. Both structures were constructed in the mid 20th century. There are eight bedrooms in 2300 and eight bedrooms in 2302. (Corridor Mixed Use 5, 0.47 acres)
• Another new unit in the Flint Hill community in the Fry’s Spring neighborhood sold for $570,036. That’s 2.97 percent above the 2026 assessment of $553,600. In 2020 the land was still undeveloped. City Council rezoned the land in August 2020. (Civic, 0.041 acres)
• A three bedroom house in the Linden Town Lofts sold for $346,000. That’s 1.37 percent below the 2026 assessment of $350,800. (Residential-C, N/A)

Epilogue with more explanation

I can trace back my property research to one set of stories I did for Charlottesville Tomorrow toward the end of my eleven years there. Developer Richard Spurzem had bought an unfinished three-story structure at 624 Booker Street in November 2015. The previous owner had begun work on what city officials later said was not allowed under the zoning code.

The stories are still posted:

• Rose Hill neighborhood balks at rezoning, demolitions, May 30, 2016
• Rose Hill residents speak out against Booker Street rezoning, June 14, 2016
• Council denies Booker Street rezoning request, July 6, 2016
• Council approves funds to conduct Rose Hill historic survey, September 18, 2017

There are still so many stories to be told from property transactions for an area where households with immense wealth want to be. As you can see above, they’re willing to pay what they can. This is a dynamic I seek to capture in my journalism, as well as the interventions that are made to try to preserve affordability.

This newsletter seeks to track that while also tracking the recent economic development surge in Albemarle County, the continuing geographical expansion of the University of Virginia, and as much as I can about all of this affects the entire region.

I disclaimed being a homeowner above. I’ve also disclaimed across my body of work that I’m a first-generation American who chose the path of journalism to try to understand this place where my parents brought me. I chose to stay in Virginia to be near them and am somewhat dislodged by their departure to another state back in 2023.

Leaving Charlottesville so often for family trips has made me think about what it would be like to report about other places. But every time I am away I am so glad to come back home on the Northeast Regional. This is where I have spent nearly 25 years and I’m grateful to get to do this work. I hope it’s useful to you.

Every time I complete one of these property transactions I feel ready to get on to the next set of stories and questions. At least one of these summaries will be fleshed into a future story. Hopefully more! Maybe you will tell one of them!

Anyway. I apologize for the inconvenience for anyone who got to the bottom and didn’t get a recipe. Here’s one I cooked last week!

Before you go: A major research interest for Town Crier Productions is property research in Charlottesville. While all of the information is eventually posted publicly, paid subscribers of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter occasionally get a first look. This edition for March 2026 was originally posted through Substack on June 28, 2026 and to this website on September 21, 2026 but then back dated. 

To support the work, consider a charitable contribution through the Tiny News Collective.